The original palace in Beijing, I was later told, was burned down by the foreign powers and is now not accessible to the public. This 'replica' was built some time in the 1990s, if I remember correctly.
And well-built it was. Apart from the obvious trappings of modernity, the palace was recreated in parts to painstaking detail over a sprawling expanse of land. This was what we saw upon entering the premises.
These were the military uniforms worn by Qing Dynasty officers. Life-sized figurines...
As was the case with this re-creation of a scene with officials reporting to the emperor...
The princes studying...
The emperor's study...
His diet...
And his throne!
My parents together in a picture!
While we're on that part of the palace, notice the building - a shrine - in the background? It's actually on a stand-alone island in the middle of the lake accessible only by boat, which we didn't take.
It was at that point of time when we were informed that we were in for a treat. The 'Emperor' was coming! We, the 'citizens' had the good fortune of partaking of some festivities to celebrate his arrival.
As we walked to the gallery, I got a shot of an 'imperial guard' getting ready. For some reason, he didn't seem to share our sense of anticipation. Maybe he's seen the emperor before...
Anyhow, we took our places and waited... Whereupon an eunuch appeared to announce His Majesty's arrival...
He's arrived!
Here's a lion dance to welcome him...
And some pretty lasses...
These acrobats were awesome. It was 15 degrees max out there!
Next, the eunuch told the emperor, were some princesses who had gone to France and learned the Cancan... Hmmm.. Can! Can!
A couple of young lads had also returned from Shaolin....
All too soon though, it was time to bid the emperor and his entourage farewell and explore the other parts of the palace.
This I think were decorations carved out of a tree trunk.
This, a fort within the palace walls....
This lake was where they re-enact naval battles at night, hence the cannons.
They even had a cable car service within the premises...
Not much at the summit however....
So the real treat is the view one gets while riding in the narrow, two-person cabins...
Indeed, there was just so much to see that we just couldn't take it all in...
From the flower-shrub-lined promenades...
To the bonsai section...
To the zig-zagged traditional bridges over the lake...
Which was full of voracious carp...
To all the other interesting sites which I did not adequately describe...
Yuan Ming Palace was a place which thrilled my parents, who would have been quite happy to spend the whole day there. But we did not, for I whisked them off somewhere else...
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